1. Field
The following description relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to communications between access points.
2. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as, for example, voice, data, and so on. Typical wireless communication systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, . . . ). Examples of such multiple-access systems may include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and the like. Additionally, the systems can conform to specifications such as third generation partnership project (3GPP), 3GPP long term evolution (LTE), ultra mobile broadband (UMB), and/or multi-carrier wireless specifications such as evolution data optimized (EV-DO), one or more revisions thereof, etc.
Generally, wireless multiple-access communication systems may simultaneously support communication for multiple mobile devices. Each mobile device may communicate with one or more access points (e.g., base stations) via transmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from access points to mobile devices, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from mobile devices to access points. Further, communications between mobile devices and access points may be established via single-input single-output (SISO) systems, multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, and so forth. In addition, mobile devices can communicate with other mobile devices (and/or access points with other access points) in peer-to-peer wireless network configurations.
In this regard, access points can communicate with a core network to facilitate providing wireless network access to the mobile devices. In addition, access points can typically communicate with one another over a wired backhaul link (e.g., using an X2 or similar interface, in LTE) through the core network. Femto cell, pico cell, and similar smaller powered access points have been introduced that can connect to the core network via a broadband connection with a disparate network, such as the Internet, and communicate with mobile devices to provide wireless network access on a smaller scale. These access points can also communicate with one another and/or with other access points over the backhaul connection. Inclusion of such access points allows for heterogeneous unplanned network deployments, which can result in interference to one or more access points, access points lacking a reliable interface (e.g., an operator deployed backhaul) for communicating with other access points, and/or the like.